We went to Gillingham High Street to find out what life is like in the most antisocial area in Kent

121 antisocial offences took place in River and Gillingham North in October

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We spoke to residents in the area to find out what they believe fuels the antisocial behaviour, what can be done to rectify it and what it is like living there.

What is antisocial crime?

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 defines antisocial behaviour as acting in a manner that has "caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household" as the perpetrator.

According to police.uk, it covers a wide range of unacceptable activity that causes harm to an individual, to their community or to their environment.

It also includes fear of crime or concern for public safety, public disorder or public nuisance.

Antisocial behaviour examples

Nuisance, rowdy or inconsiderate neighbours

Vandalism, graffiti and fly-posting

Street drinking

Environmental damage including littering, dumping of rubbish and abandonment of cars

Prostitution related activity

Begging and vagrancy

Fireworks misuse

Inconsiderate or inappropriate use of vehicles

Pepe Sarpong

Pepe Sarpong moved to Gillingham 26 years ago

Pepe Sarpong, 49, moved to Gillingham 26 years ago and has run Pepe's Tearoom for the last eight years.

She feels the ailing High Street has created a downward social spiral, with the area failing to attract affluent people.

Ms. Sarpong explained: “Although I’ve got a business here, if not for that reason, I wouldn’t choose to come to this town a lot at all really.

Pepe's tea room on Gillingham High Street

She continued: “Over time you’ve seen how it’s changed.

“I’ve realised people just don’t care. They’ve got no pride in the area. They just don’t care and so it attracts the wrong type of people.

“26 years ago, when I first moved to Kent, I used to come to Gillingham High Street. It had all the shops, it was great.

“It was an experience. It was a good shopping town.

The High Street is full of empty units

“But over the years, when all the shops have all sort of gone, what’s left now? There’s not much here.

“That’s what attracts the wrong type of people because it doesn’t bring the right type of people that you want to come to town to shop and spend their money, it brings the wrong type of people.

“Like breeds like, so if there’s nothing worthwhile, why would the right type of people come?

Emily Akinidiya

Emily Akindiya, a shop assistant in her 30s, was not surprised to find out the area was ranked the most antisocial in Kent.

She commented: “No, I’m not surprised because you see a lot of them walking about, probably doing drugs, smoking weed.

“Sometimes they smoke it round the corner and it’s coming in the shop. I have to tell them, can you move.

“I’ve lived in Gillingham since 1999 but I just don’t get involved, I don’t really socialise around here because there’s not much going on for starters.

Many units are vacant in the town

“There’s not really anything that seems to be going on that’s interesting.

On what she’d like to see change, she said: “Clean up the place, hello. I mean it’s alright but still make the place look nicer.

“The nicer an area is, the less likely you see people being antisocial.”

Sider Colin

Sider Colin has lived in the area for the last 40 years

Sider Colin, 65, is a market trader, who has lived in the area for 40 years.

He feels there is direct correlation between the lack of policemen on the street and the rise in antisocial behaviour.

He said: “When there’s an incident, there’s no coppers about.

“They shouldn’t be cutting them, there should be more on the street.

Mr Colin works as a market trader on The Mall

“You go up the High Street now, you won’t see a policeman,” he continued.

“There should be somebody, regardless how much they cost.

“There should be at least two people in the area walking about – but they're not.

Martin Bedwell

Martin Bedwell was a taxi driver for 25 years

Martin Bedwell, 63, a former taxi driver, who has lived in the area all of his life, also believes government cuts are to blame.

He said: “She’s [Theresa May] laid off 20,000 troops, they cut down on the police. It’s not the police’s fault, it’s not the troops’ fault, we ain’t got the services to run round and check.

“We used to have quite a few officers walking around, hardly ever see them now. They’re all these probationary people.

“They’re walking around the High Street and they’re trying to act big and proper with the drunks, and the down and outs mouthing them and bossing them about and they’ve got no more sway than you and me have.

Beer cans strewn on the floor of an alleyway

“It’s the government. It’s all the cutbacks,” he added.

Mr Bedwell also thinks stricter child discipline, like when he was younger, could help solve the problem of antisocial behaviour.

He said: “The kids now, the parents have got no control.

“Back in my day, you were caned in front of the girls’ schools. You had the cane from the teacher.

“Alright at the time, I didn’t agree with it but I could see there was sense in there. Bring it back.

A smashed window in The Mall

“The copper used to give you a clip round the ear and send you home. They can’t even touch you now. There’s nothing at all now.

“You went home, your parents sorted you out with a belt or whatever and that was half of the problems gone.

He continued: “We’ve taken the control away from the teachers for a kick off.

“Alright the ruler, the cane across the arse, yeah at the time it was bad in my day.

“But, now, being older, it was a [preventative] thing.

A sea of cans and discarded litter in the underpass

“Bring back national service, that’s what I say. That’s another good thing and all. No deterrents at all now.

"Bring back national service – that is good. Drum them in to make them a bit disciplined.

On his personal experience of antisocial behaviour in the area, he said: “Where I live, we’ve got a park and they’re out there you can hear them.

“If I come out onto my balcony, say three or four o’clock in the morning, you can hear them talking, lighting up fags, drinking.

“They’re only 12-14 years of age, where’s the parents? They’re letting them do it.

An alleyway full of discarded cans and with a stench of urine

“They’re up to no good, they’re sitting there with their mates, they’re drinking, smoking pot or whatever, needling up or whatever, doing it all night.